Faith FHE - Come Follow Me August
FAITH FAMILY NIGHT
Items Needed:
- Food Coloring - Red, Blue and Yellow
- Clear Plastic Cups (I found mine at the Dollar Store)
- Choice Art Supply (crayons, markers, finger paint, etc.)
- Faith PDF
- "Hearing Cards" from Churchofjesuschrist.org
Song: "Faith" Children's Song Book page 96.
Scripture: Romans 10:17. After Jesus died, His apostles had the responsibility to teach others about the gospel. The apostles were called as missionaries, but back then they didn't have cars or airplanes to travel like we do now. Instead, they had to walk or write letters to one another. One of the apostles, named Paul, wrote a letter to the Roman Church members that taught: "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." We need to hear the word of God (good principles) in order to have faith.
Object Lesson: Faith Experiment.
Preparation: Fill a clear cup with red water (water + red food coloring); a clear cup with blue water (water + blue food coloring); and clear cup with yellow water (water + yellow food coloring). Have three addition cups that are empty available to mix colors.
What is faith? Alma teaches us that: "If ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21). Talk about something you can’t see right now. ie: Do you have a grandma? But, you can’t see her right now, so how do you know? Even though we can’t see her, we know she’s “true” or exists. Let's experiment. I'm going to tell you some things that are true, and we'll talk about faith (something we hope for) and how to know if these experiments are true.
Truth #1: If you mix blue and yellow, it makes green (place the truth card, blue water, yellow water and an empty cup on the table). Ask questions like: Do you believe this? Do you have faith or hope blue and yellow make green? How can we know for sure? Let's experiment. Pour half of the blue cup (save the remaining half for the next experiment) and half of the yellow cup (save the remaining half for the next experiment) into an empty plastic cup. Wow, the water turned green!
Optional: Repeat the activity and this time hide the empty cup behind a dish towel and pour the blue and yellow colors into the empty cup. Ask your children if they believe the colors turned green. (YES!) How do you know? You can't see it. Relate to faith. Even though they can't see that the cup is green, they can know from previous experience. Remove the dish towel.
Truth #2: If you mix blue and red, it makes purple. Continue in a like manner and mix the blue and red colors together in an empty cup.
Truth #3: If you mix red and yellow, it makes orange. Continue in a like manner and mix the red and yellow colors together in an empty cup.
Truth #4: The sun rises each morning. How do we know this is true? Do you have faith and believe the sun will rise tomorrow morning? But, you can't see the sun rise yet. Relate to faith.
Truth #5: If a seed is planted, it will grow. How do we know this it true?
Truth #6: I lived in heaven before my mortal birth. Where have you heard this truth before? Have your children try to guess five places they've heard this gospel principle. Give hints if needed. As your children guess each item, show these cards (from Churchofjesuschrist.org) on the table.
- Scriptures - Abraham 3:22-26 OR John 1:1-4.
- Prophets at General Conference - Example
- Family Home Evening - Example
- Church.
- Prayer - The Holy Ghost (through our feelings)
Relate to Children's Lives: Samantha's Growing Faith.
Place an empty glass with a little bit of water in it on the table and explain that the water inside is Samantha's faith. We're going to learn about how her faith grew and grew, so much that she not only had faith that God hears her prayers, but knew that God hears her prayers.
Read "Samantha's Growing Faith" found in my Faith PDF. For each example, add a little more water (or "faith") into the empty glass. Teach the importance of going to church, participating in FHE, listening to the prophets, and reading the scriptures so we can learn important truths. What would happen if we didn't do these things? Emphasize that through our experiences, we gain more and more faith. Once we have so much faith, we can know something is true. We should write these experiences down in a notebook, so we always remember them.
Activity Ideas:
1) Plant a Seed and watch it grow. If seeds aren't available, dried beans will grow in soil. Talk about faith and experiences as the seed grows.
2) Use crayons, markers, dot markers or finger-paint to draw a flower on this Faith Pot (print from my PDF). Relate how a seed is like faith. Hang the pictures up on the fridge to remember the lesson throughout the week.
